The present invention relates to an improved dispenser head and to a fluid dispenser device including such a head.
Fluid dispenser devices are well known, and such a device generally comprises a reservoir, a dispenser member, such as a pump or a valve, mounted on said reservoir, and a dispenser device making it possible to actuate the pump and thus to dispense the fluid contained in the reservoir. The head is generally fixed to the moving actuating rod for actuating the pump, and it defines an expulsion channel leading to a dispensing orifice making it possible to dispense the fluid.
Known dispenser heads can suffer from certain disadvantages. In the event that the pusher is removed or torn off accidentally or improperly from its position as mounted on the pump, the fluid contained in the pump or in the reservoir might become contaminated. Furthermore, since the pusher is the last part of the fluid dispenser device to be assembled, it is desirable to make the last assembly step as simple as possible. The manufacturer of the fluid to be dispensed is generally not the manufacturer of the dispenser device, so that, after the reservoir has been filled, it is necessary firstly to mount the pump on the reservoir, and then to mount the dispenser head on the pump. Therefore, the pump and the dispenser head are generally delivered separately, and assembled on the site of the manufacturer of the fluid. In which case, it can be difficult to avoid all risk of contamination while the head is being assembled on the pump, and that assembly requires complicated tools.
Another problem that can arise with dispenser heads, in particular dispenser heads of the nasal applicator type, concerns manufacture and assembly of the dispenser head itself. In particular in spray uses, it is generally necessary to form a spray profile at the dispensing orifice. Unfortunately, in particular in devices of the nasal applicator type, the end of the head provided with the dispensing orifice is relatively remote from the injection point of the mold, which makes it difficult to form the spray profile and to achieve accuracy in forming it.
Similarly, it can be desirable to avoid any risk of the dispenser head being removed, to prevent the user from attempting various undesired operations, such as refilling the reservoir, for example.
Furthermore, in particular when the dispenser head is used as the pusher of a nasal applicator, it is important for it to be possible to clean the dispenser head, without however any risk of polluting the working portion of the pump, and in particular the fluid contained therein.
Documents DE-14 91 714, U.S. Pat. No. 4,830,224, and DE-41 10 304 disclose dispenser heads or pushers made up from more than one piece, but none of them makes it possible to prevent the piece incorporating the dispensing orifice from being torn off, so that the fluid is contaminated if any attempt is made to tear off the pusher.
An object of the present invention is to provide a dispenser head and a fluid dispenser device incorporating such a dispenser head that do not reproduce the above-mentioned drawbacks.
In particular, an object of the present invention is to provide a dispenser head that prevents any risk of contaminating the fluid.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such a dispenser head that is simple and inexpensive to manufacture and to assemble.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide such a dispenser head for which the final stage of assembly of the fluid dispenser device is simplified, in particular when the manufacturer of the fluid to be dispensed is different from the manufacturer of the dispenser device.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a dispenser head that prevents said head from being torn off or removed from the dispenser device after it has been assembled.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such a dispenser head that is easy to clean without affecting the working portion of the pump in any way.
The present invention thus provides a dispenser head for a fluid dispenser device for dispensing a fluid, said dispenser head comprising an inner body defining a dispensing channel for the fluid, said channel being terminated by a dispensing orifice, and a separate outer body defining an actuating surface on which the user presses to actuate the dispenser device, said outer body being fitted over said inner body in a manner such that, in the event that an attempt is made to tear off or to remove said dispenser head, only said outer body is removable, said inner body remaining fixed to said dispenser device.
Advantageously, the inner body has an outside radial shoulder co-operating with a corresponding inside radial shoulder of the outer body to define the assembled position of the head.
Advantageously, the outer body is a push fit on the inner body.
In an advantageous variant embodiment, the head is in the form of a pusher for a nasal applicator, the pusher comprising a frustoconical elongate portion designed to penetrate in part into the nostril, and a wider portion forming the actuating surface.
In a first embodiment, the outer body incorporates the frustoconical portion and the wider portion.
In a second embodiment, the inner body incorporates the frustoconical portion, and the outer body incorporates the wider portion.
Preferably, the inner body comprises a hollow tubular member, and a frustoconical skirt extending around said tubular member to form said frustoconical portion, the free end of said skirt incorporating a radial shoulder for co-operating with the outer body.
The free end of said frustoconical skirt is provided with a sharp edge at its axial end surface.
Advantageously, the inner body is provided with fixing means, such as snap-fastening means, for fixing to said dispenser device.
The present invention also provides a fluid dispenser device comprising a fluid reservoir, and a dispenser member such as a pump, said fluid dispenser device further comprising a dispenser head of the present invention.
Preferably, said inner body of the head is snap-fastened to the actuating rod of the pump so that, in the event that an attempt is made to tear off or remove the head, the inner body remains fixed to said pump, thereby preventing any contamination of the fluid contained in the reservoir.
Advantageously, said inner body of the head is provided with closure means at the dispensing orifice.